Spirit is All that Matters
by Ninjas-and-Na'vi
Summary: We thought when the Sky People left, it was happily ever after for the Omaticaya. But the banishing was just the beginning of a whole new journey for Jake and Neytiri.  Note: Some Na'vi language used.
1. First Sight

For what seemed like forever, she thought he was gone. His body did not move, he just lay there, motionless, his arms sprawled across the lush Pandora ground. It seemed as though the ground fell far beneath Neytiri as she held his lifeless head in her hands. After whispering Jake one last time, she turned her head on an angle and stared at the metal shack the evil man was trying so hard to get into. As if a miracle, everything seemed to make sense. Jake was a _uniltìranyu_, a human in another body. His true body was in there, she knew it. What she also knew was that the evil man had a grudge against Jake, so his useless attempts to kill Jake were out of rage, it all made sense.

Panting as she ran, Neytiri clumsily made her way to the shack. After reaching it, she pressed herself against one of the thick windows. Her ears picked up a noise she had not heard before, sirens. She looked on the floor and saw, among shattered glass, a Sky Person. Neytiri began breathing even more heavily as she ran towards the broken window and vaulted herself in. As soon as she was in, she felt a sharp pain on the bottom of her feet, it was the broken glass. But it mattered not to Neytiri as she gracelessly made her way to the Sky Person lying on the floor. Instinctively, she picked him up and shook him. "_Jake!_" Neytiri panted, "_Ma Jake!_" She shook him once again, but still he did not stir. Neytiri looked over his body and found that his arm was directing in a way like he was reaching for something. She focused on what he must have been reaching for. It was an odd object that she immediately recognized; it was the mask the Sky People used when they were fighting, like they couldn't breathe the air. Deciding to take a chance, she clumsily picked up the object and placed it on his face as she had seen the other men do. For a few seconds, she just stared at him, still breathing heavily. Eventually, she could hear a slight hissing from the object, and suddenly, he started shivering and coughing, his hands hastily moving up to the device. After he felt it on his face, he pressed a button on the bottom of it and decompressed it. Immediately, he began breathing, selfishly taking in the air. As soon as she saw he was alright, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled down at him.

After a bit of time, Jake's breathing returned to normal. Slowly he lifted one of his weak arms up and placed his hand on the side of her face. Smiling, she placed her hand on top of his. Jake looked at her, through the fogged mask, she could see the love in his eyes. "I see you." he whispered. Neytiri's eyes started brimming with tears. "I see you." she said back.

Both knew that there was no need for words at that moment. Trying not to hurt him with her strength, Neytiri slowly picked Jake up and embraced him tightly, nearly shivering as the fear left her completely. He was safe, he was alive, and she was there with him. Both had sacrificed everything so that the other would be safe, and they were together, inseparable at last.

Though they were close together at that moment, there was one thing in the way, the strange mask. Neytiri knew very well that Jake needed it to breath. Without it, he would succumb to the Pandora air. But she was with him now, he was safe. If he needed the mask, she was there, so she decided to take a chance. She released her arms a bit and looked at him with reassuring eyes. He seemed fervent with her gesture and carefully pulled off his exopack. Upon doing so, she pulled him into a kiss. At that moment, everything came back. They remembered when they first met and how she had taught him the ways of the Omaticaya. They remembered falling in love and choosing each other as life mates. They remembered when they were temporarily broken when Jake had admitted to being a spy for the RDA and when had proven his strong connection to Eywa by becoming the sixth _Tokuk Makto. _All memories, the good and the bad, unwillingly came back.

Time eventually unfroze and Jake needed air, so the two unlocked their lips and Neytiri gently pulled up the exopack and placed on his face again. She was right, with her, he was safe.

Jake searched his thoughts for a moment, trying to find the correct words to say. All that came out was, "Thank you, _irayo" _Neytiri laughed a bit. "I taught you that well, didn't I?" she smiled. Jake smiled back, "I haven't forgotten that much." The two partners shared a brief laugh before embracing each other again. This time, Neytiri stroked the back of Jake's hair. Her hand moved slowly down his back, but something was wrong. Toward the bottom of his back, his spine felt different. Even for a human, it felt strange. Almost afraid to ask him, Neytiri to a deep breath. "_Ma Jake._" She started. Jake loosened his arms from her. "Yeah?" he asked, giving her a puzzled look. She looked down, "Is there, uh, something wrong with, um, your, uh, back?" Jake knew what she meant, and he too looked away from her. "I'm fine." he said, "it's nothing really." Neytiri nodded, she sensed that it was a delicate subject that Jake probably didn't want to talk about.

After that, things became awkward, even between them. "So," Neytiri shrugged, "That evil man is dead, he won't bother our People ever again." Jake smiled at her. "We must send the Sky People home, shouldn't we?" he asked. Neytiri nodded. "You and Tsu'tey will tell them where to go."

Jake laughed. Among all this he had forgotten how admired his was to the Na'vi and how feared he was to humans. "Okay. I'll radio Norm and see if he take me to the link room at the lab. You know, so I can reconnect to my Avatar." Neytiri was a bit unsure about the plan, but decided to go with whatever her Jake thought was the best. "Alright." She shrugged. Jake nodded, and lifted himself out of her arms and onto the link bed. Neytiri watched him sadly as she realized that his spine problem was probably the reason he ceased to move his legs. She couldn't quite piece it together, but decided it would be safe not to ask him about it.

On the link bed, Jake tried to make his way to a shelf that held the communication devices. In his attempt to grab one, his hand slipped and he fell slightly off the bed. "Damn it!" he grunted. Neytiri approached him. "Do need any help?" she asked, worried. "No," Jake said through his teeth. "I got this." In a clumsy act, he finally made it securely back on the link bed and grabbed one of the devices. Jake pressed a button "Norm, you copy?" He waited for a bit, then a voice on the other end came, scaring Neytiri a bit. "Yeah, Jake, what is is?"

"If possible, could you bring a Scorpion down here and take me back to to Hell's Gate?"

"Sure, we got a lot of the humans up here. Where are you?"

"I'm in the shack with Neytiri."

"Alright, I'll be there in a few hours."

"Okay. Thanks, buddy."

"No problem."

And with that, Jake disconnected and turned to Neytiri. "You can stay here and wait, right? He asked. Neytiri smiled "Of course." Jake looked a bit guilty. "Sorry, I should've asked you if you were okay with this before I made plans." She laughed, "It's okay, I'll just stay here a guard your body." Upon hearing that, Jake moved towards her and embraced her. "Thank you so much for being here." he sighed.


	2. Burritos and Memories

Norm didn't arrive at the link for about three hours which gave Jake and Neytiri a lot of time to kill. Most of that time was spent thanking each other for their sacrifices and the like. Some comments exchanged between them seemed strange even to the Na'vi. But Jake and Neytiri didn't care,they were just enjoying each others company.

The shack seemed very tiny and odd to Neytiri. She wondered how anyone could live like this, cooped up and separated from Eywa. When she finally stood up all the way, she had to crouch in a very awkward position which made Jake burst out in laughter. She had shot him an irritated glance but soon found herself laughing as well. At one point, she knelt down and took a look in the refrigerator in the shack which now held only a few microwave burritos and some bottles of water. Neytiri picked up one of the burritos and looked at it curiously. "Ma Jake?" she called. Jake looked over at her, "Yeah?" She looked him in the eye, "What is this thing?" she said, holding up the burrito. Jake laughed a bit "That's Sky People food." Neytiri widened her eyes and looked at the package, "You mean to say, you actually... eat this?" she said incredulously. Jake laughed even harder, "Yeah, what'd you think it was?" A puzzled look came over her face, "I thought it was... I... uh... I don't even know." she laughed, "May I try it?"

It was Jake's turn for the puzzled glance, "You sure? It's pretty nasty." he asked. Neytiri smiled, "It can't be that bad, can it?" Jake shrugged and unwrapped the burrito and handed it to her. "Now normally, we heat those up in something called a microwave. It's like a box that uses heat to cook food in a short time." Neytiri looked at him, amazed but slightly disgusted. Jake continued, "But, since all of our energy is used up by the links, we can't use ours." Neytiri smiled, "That's alright, it can't make that much of a difference, right?" she asked. Jake smiled at her "I guess your right." After hearing that, Neytiri pulled the burrito up to her lips, her face immediately grimacing at the scent. Taking a breath, she took the burrito and cleared half of it in one bite. Almost instantly, she dropped the rest of the food and spit out the burrito, nearly choking. "Oh my goodness, that's terrible!" she screamed. After spitting out what was left in her mouth, she turned to Jake. "How do you eat that stuff? That was the worst thing I've ever tasted." But Jake couldn't her her question, he was laughing too hard, nearly crying at the sight of the Na'vi princess tasting human food, the thought was unbearably funny.

Eventually, Jake's laughing seized a bit and he looked at Neytiri, whose large eyes were wide with disgust as she tried to get the rest of the taste out of her mouth. "Are you okay?" he asked, still with an amused grin on his face. "No! I'm not! That thing... it was... horrid!" she coughed, "I mean honestly, I don't get you. How do you do it? Why did I kiss you!" Both of their eyes widened, and then they burst out laughing again. For a woman who was destined to become a spiritual leader, Neytiri had quite the sense of humor, Jake thought, that was one of the many things he loved about her.

After both partners where out of breath from laughing, Neytiri closed the door to the refrigerator and turned to Jake, but then suddenly turned back to the door. Something caught her eye. It was Grace's pictures from her years as a teacher. Neytiri scanned over them all, but one interested her in particular. Jake moved over to where she was kneeling and looked at the picture Neytiri was staring at. What he saw in it were two Na'vi girls. One was young, probably around nine years old, that girl looked familiar, but the second girl, not so much. He observed her. The female looked like she was around the age of 16 and she bared a slight resemblance to Neytiri but looked different enough for him to know it wasn't her. The younger girl was obviously a younger Neytiri, but Jake puzzled over the second person in the picture. Wanting a answer, he looked over to his mate, but was taken aback by what he saw. Her eyes were brimming with with tears and still fixated on the picture, preferably the older Na'vi girl. Jake desperately wanted to know who the girl was and why seeing her made Neytiri upset, but he decided it'd be best not to ask.

After a bit, Neytiri took a hand and wiped the spilled tears from her eyes, "You must want to know who that is." she turned to Jake, her voice shaking. "I... just..." he stuttered. Neytiri smiled comfortingly, "It's okay, you have every right to know. The older girl in that picture," she paused for a second, "Is my older sister, Sylwanin."

Jake was momentarily shocked with what he heard. Through all of their time together, Neytiri hadn't once mentioned her sister. Even in _tsaheylu, _Eywa had not given him a vision of what Neytiri's life was like before he met her. She took a deep breath, "My sister was an amazing woman. When my mother was busy, she would be there to take care of me. She filled any void when I was spirit training." Neytiri's eyes began to spill over with tears, Jake leaned over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Her and I were students of Grace, she was very good with English and helped me learn as well. But one day," She closed her eyes, "Sylwanin was fed up with the deforestation by the Sky People, so she and a few of her friends went and set a machine on fire on fire as a symbol of their anger."

*Flashback*

Neytiri is sitting at a desk in the old school house, writing sentences as Grace watches her. "Wow, Neytiri," Grace said, obviously dazzled, "Your catching on to this very quickly. I'm very impressed!" Neytiri giggled, "Thanks." Grace smiled back at her and then looked around the room, _"Hey, Neytiri? Have you seen Sylwanin?" _ Neytiri stopped writing, no aware that she hadn't seen Sylwanin all day. "No, I haven't." she said. Right after she said that, the door to the school burst open. Standing in the doorway was Sylwanin, but she was covered in war paint. Three other painted up girls ran in the house. One of them shouted, _"Get the children out of here!"_ Most of the the students reacted by running out the back entrance of the house, but Neytiri stayed, wanting to help her sister. As soon as Sylwanin saw this, she screamed, _"Neytiri! Get out of here!" _But before Neytiri could protest, a human stomped quickly through the door and open fired a machine gun. The blasts hit the chalkboard and wall, scaring Neytiri. Instinctively, Sylwanin ran to try to protect her younger sister. But on her way, Neytiri saw her fell to the ground, screaming. Instantly, blood began to coat her hand as Sylwanin tried to cover the gunshot wound. _"Ma'tsmuke!" _Neytiri wailed as she rushed to her sister's side. Looking up at the human, he had his gun aimed at her, but Neytiri was too busy calling to Sylwanin. After one last call, Neytiri felt herself being lifted from the ground and pushed to the door. Neytiri left leaving the screams of Grace behind her.

*End*

Neytiri wiped her eye, "We had a... what do you call it... uh... funeral for her. On that night, I promised to never forgive any Sky People, but is was my sister herself that had said there was good among everyone." Jake wrapped his arm even tighter around her shoulder. He wanted to tell her he was sorry for all that had happened, but he was interrupted by the sound of a Scorpion outside. Neytiri perked up, "Norm's here," she said "I'll carry you outside." Jake sighed and nodded and Neytiri picked him up with simplicity.

The two came out to meet Norm at the ship. Neytiri kissed Jake's head as she placed him on the loading deck. "We'll try not to be long." Norm said as he lifted himself onto the deck as well. "I'll wait here." Neytiri said, standing surely near the shack. Jake smiled and she smiled back and she continued to do so as the gunship took off. 'It was just the beginning for them, wasn't it?' Neytiri asked herself.


	3. Aftermath

(In the Scorpion)

Jake looked down at the link shack until it was out of sight. A small dot beneath him and the Scorpion. Norm laughed lowly and shook his head. "How?" was all he said, and it was all he needed to to say. The thought was crazy and just plain strange. The beautiful Na'vi princess, destined to become a great spiritual leader, falling crazy in love with a human soldier. But no matter what, Jake stayed by his mate, never letting all the talk hinder his love for her. He made a promise on the 18th of June that he would always be there for her. He had broken the promise once, but made a pact that it would never happen again, not after what happened last time.

The trip in the Scorpion took longer than Jake had initially expected. To pass the time he looked out to the horizon and thought about what he was going to do once he got back to Neytiri. At the very least, the Sky People would be banished from Pandora with the exception of Norm, Max, and a few selected others. However, what would he do afterwords? This he hadn't thought about, but he decided it'd be best if he consulted Neytiri about his plans and got her side of it. He was finally with her now, and he didn't want to make any more mistakes. His mind still rushing with ideas, Jake drifted off into a light sleep.

(At the link shack)

It was hard for Neytiri to stay awake. She was tired and worn out and hurt. She stared at Jake's lifeless Avatar, his body left in a sitting position. Looking at him made her feel a sense of insecurity. No matter how many times Jake connected to his Avatar, she never once trusted the Sky People's technology. What, with all the wiring and stuff she didn't know about, no one could blame her for being insecure. Even just being in the link shack with no protection but Jake's lifeless Avatar and the dead colonel outside, she felt unsafe. However, she had never told this to her Jake, she wanted to be strong.

A couple times throughout her wait, she nearly dozed off. But each time she caught herself, vowing to stand by her Jake. Of course, she didn't have to wait much longer for him to awaken. Norm had gone out of his way to get Jake to Hell's Gate as soon as he could. And the relief she felt when she saw his eyes open was unbearable. He blinked a few times to adjust his sight and coughed a few times as he sat up. After seeing where he was, he turned to look at Neytiri, who was already moving towards him.

Wordlessly, they both wrapped their arms around each other and a warm embrace. Once again, there was no need for words. The moment was the moment. In each others arms, never wanting to let go. It was addicting almost, just the feeling of being together without a threat to them for the first time. Most would want that time to last forever. But, for them, it couldn't. They knew a nightmare awaited them when they decided to let go. So they did, and looking into the others eyes, Jake and Neytiri were aware that as long as they were together, they could face whatever treachery that waited for them outside the walls of the link shack.

And so they began their walk back to the Tree of Souls, hand in hand. The couple that would soon know the real terrors of war came upon a few of the warriors from another clan. Immediately recognizing who they were, the Na'vi announced,

"_Toruk Makto, Omaticaya princess, we have found your leader but he is hurt. He wishes to see both of you."_

"Tsu'tey!" Neytiri looked up at her mate, the slightest hint of fear in her eyes.

"_Lead us to him!"_ Jake commanded.

The warriors did as told and took them to a small clearing in the forest. There were five hunters crowded around something- or someone on the ground. The group saw Jake and Neytiri and they all moved back. What hunters had been gathered was nothing more than a weak and injured Tsu'tey. The couple moved immediately to his side, Jake kneeling down and Neytiri sitting at his feet.

Tsu'tey felt the presence of someone by his side and opened his eyes to see Jake.

"Oel ngati kameie, Jakesully." he said, his voice shaking but thick with emotion.

"I See You, brother." Jake responded. Examining him, he could see where he was hurt. It was obvious Tsu'tey had taken multiple gunshots to the lower torso. Other than that, he was covered in bruises and scratches and drenched in blood.

"I can no longer lead The People," Tsu'tey said, "You will lead them Jakesully."

"No, I'm not officer material." Jake almost laughed.

"It is decided, now do the duty of _Olo'eyctan_ and set my spirit free."

"I'm not killing you."

"I'm already dead."

"No."

"It is the way! And it is good, I will be remembered." Tsu'tey took a gasping breath before he continued, his voice vivid with emotion, "I fought with _Toruk Makto_, we were brothers, and he- was my last shadow."

After nodding slowly, Jake grasped his knife, and as he lent forward, his shadow covering Tsu'tey, he began to recite the prayer for the dead.

"_Forgive me, my Brother. Go now to the Mother Spirit. __Your spirit goes with Eywa, your body stays behind to become part of The People."_

"Okay," Jake said, still choking out tears, "We'd better get back to the Tree of Souls, now." He slid his knife back into his sheath. Neytiri looked up at him and nodded. A few of the hunters had already left but most of them had stayed; they needed to take Tsu'tey's body to a sacred place none of them would tell of. Before they left, on of the hunters, a older looking woman, removed the Olo'eyctan insignia from Tsu'tey neck and handed it to Jake, bowing. Saddened, he placed the necklace around his own, got up off of his knees and took Neytiri's hand. She stood up with him. And as they left, she turned to have one last look at her old friend, a few tears fell from her eyes, smearing her war paint. After showing one last motion of respect to her would-be mate, she turned her face to a whole new nightmare.

The walk back to the Tree of Souls was like nothing Neytiri had ever experienced. She felt her eyes spring once again with bitter sadness. Everywhere she looked, no matter what, was death. Lifeless warriors who gave their last stand to protect The People. Neytiri squeezed Jake's hand, she had never felt so weak. He looked around. His breathing became heavier but he vowed not to let the tears spill. Among all the sadness, he came upon Norm's lifeless Avatar, which hit him especially hard. In fact, it hit him hard enough that he stopped walking so he could just stare into the distance. Somehow, he could sense Neytiri's anguish. He turned to her and spread out his arms. Almost immediately, she collapsed into them. He engulfed her in an affectionate embrace and the two just stood there. Neytiri managed to let out a few light sobs. Both of them had seen a side of the other they never knew of; vulnerability and distress.

They both knew that they had to keep moving, although Jake and Neytiri wanted to stay forever in each others arms. It might as well of been them to take a deadly plummet from the sky or to be overwhelmed by bullets after falling from your mount. It would be best for them to keep movie to get the the Tree of Souls to care for their brothers and sisters who were injured.

After unlocking arms, Jake and his mate unlocked arms and resumed walking, hand-in-hand. Except this time, their eyes stared strait forward instead of at the sorrow that was spread throughout the forest. Neytiri grasped Jake's hand tightly, almost to the point where all circulation was cut off. But he couldn't care less. Just her presence made him feel better as he faced the music.

This is all my fault, he repeated in his head, I could've prevented this. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but blame himself. As Toruk Makto, he was supposed to save The People from times of great sorrow. Now it seemed that all he was doing was making more problems. All so suddenly, he came upon many human bodies pierced with arrows and crushed AMP Suits, which lifted his spirits.

It wasn't much longer before the two reached the Tree of Souls. Relieved to be out of the nightmare, Neytiri ran to where her mother was standing, Jake followed closely after.

_"Oel ngati kameie, ma'sa'nok."_ she greeted with respect.

As soon as she saw Jake wearing the leader insignia, she knew Tsu'tey did not survive the battle.

"_Ma'ite_, Jakesully." Mo'at regarded them with love, "_I'm glad to see you both back safe, but you seem tired. Go to the shelter and get some rest, me and the other women will take care of The People."_

_ "Are you sure?" _Jake asked, "_As Olo'eyctan, I should be here to help."_

_ "Yes, I'm sure."_ Mo'at insisted, "_You are the leader but we are the healers."_

Deciding to follow orders, Jake bowed, took Neytiri's hand and walked to the place his mother-in-law had pointed out.

The Omaticaya had established a safe place for all the elders and children in the clan that were unable to fight. Among them were dozens of hunters, some injured, were winding down from the battle. Most of them were gathered in cots, sleeping not so peacefully. Some sat and snacked on teylu as they stared unseeing into the flames. There were also groups sitting closely together, obviously mourning. Mourning lost souls and the damaged world.

Heartbroken by the depressing scene, Jake and Neytiri walked over to a basin of water by the fire and washed their war paint off. Then they made their way to the sleeping area and climbed into a cot. Jake wrapped his arms protectively around her waist as if he was afraid that there was still a threat. And just like that, the night dragged on. Both warriors were tired to the point where they were almost sick, but neither could sleep. Everything still haunted them. The images of friends being killed and the bloody aftermath of the battle. Both sides, the humans and the Na'vi, suffered major casualties and they were still a but shaken. Four hours ago, Neytiri had aimed her arrow at the chest of the man that tried to slit the throat of the man she loved. Four hours ago, Jake had allowed himself to be nearly exposed to death so the woman he loved wouldn't of been stabbed with a knife. The man and the woman were together now, inseparable, but scared. Every other day, Jake and his mate were two brave. Fearless spirits. Those two warriors who were as strong as could be, were lying in bed, scared for their lives.


	4. Fed To a Palulukan

Jake didn't get any sleep that night, neither did Neytiri. The wretched hours were spent staring blankly into the sky, listening to the silent mourn of the forest. Their bodies were motionless, their minds were racing. _What were they to do tomorrow? What was to become of the humans? What could go wrong in the days that lay ahead? What would happen to the Omaticaya? _These questions tortured the pair and continued to do so throughout the night.

Because Jake never fell asleep, he never terminated the link to his Avatar. So when the morning light finally shone on the camp, he was still there with Neytiri, arms wrapped around her waist. Her eyes were still fixated on the sky; it looked as if she hadn't moved a muscle the entire night. It relieved Jake to know that he hadn't fallen asleep, he would have left her. That was something he didn't plan o doing anytime soon. Neytiri must have felt that her love wanted to get up, so she turned to him, eyes sparkling.

_"Good morning, 'Tiri." _he whispered, offering a small smile.

_"Good morning."_ she replied, trying her best to do the same. After blinking a few times, she stretched out her legs and yawned.

"Did you get any sleep?" he asked.

"No, I couldn't. I have this awful feeling in my stomach and I'm just to concerned about the future."

She nuzzled her head under his chin. "What about you? Did you get any sleep?"

"Nope," Jake shrugged, "I guess I'm just as worried as you are." He kissed the top of her head as he sat up on the cot.

"We should go help my mother now. She probably needs us." Neytiri suggested, sitting up as she spoke. Upon doing so, she let out a groan through gritted teeth.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked, placing a protective hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine," she said stubbornly, "It's probably just pains from not getting any sleep."

"Okay," Jake sighed, "But please don't hesitate to tell me if something's wrong."

"I'm fine!" Neytiri snapped.

Jake exhaled loudly, stood up stretching, and held out his hand. Neytiri, who seemed a little remorseful for her previous actions, took it and stood up as well. When they arrived at the Tree of Souls, Mo'at was wrapping the wound of a female Na'vi with a long, thin leaf. The girl looked at Jake and Neytiri and Mo'at followed her glance.

"I will be with you in a minute." she nodded. Taking her hint, Jake and Neytiri turned around and looked around the base of the sacred tree. All of a sudden, Neytiri gasped and ran up to the foot of the tree, Jake followed closely behind.

When he finally caught up to her, she was kneeling next to an older Na'vi woman whose face was cupped in her hands. The woman was obviously largely upset about something. And softly, Neytiri stroked her back, whispering something that he could not translate.

"What's wrong?" Jake said as he knelt on the other side of the woman.

As she lifted her head from her hands to look at him, he could see the woman had spent much time crying. The way her eyes glistened immensely with tears was something that he had gotten used to since he had landed on Pandora.

"Toruk Makto," the woman chocked out, "My mate, Zolän, h-he... was killed by... a Sky Person. It was my... fault. I-I should have been there to protect him. What should I do? How can I b-be forgiven?"

Jake felt his heart ache at the very thought of losing Neytiri, his Neytiri. This woman, suffering the burden of losing her love, was looking at him for guidance. He knew he had to say something, but he wasn't sure what.

_"It isn't your fault,"_ he wasn't even stumbling with his Na'vi, the words seeped to spill right off of his lip, _"We all came prepared to sacrifice everything we have. Your mate was a brave man. And... well, he's not really gone. His spirit is with the Great Mother. And,"_ he motioned toward the Tree of Souls, _"no matter what, he'll always be with you."_

When he finished, Neytiri looked at him with eyes that read, 'Where did that come from?' But the woman could care less as she sat up, eyes fixed on the tree.

"_Ireyo._" she sighed, _"You are very right. Zolän, even after death, he's always with me. Safe in the arms of Eywa."_ Her hand moved to stroke the choker she wore around her neck, obviously in remembrance of her mate. After a few more tears shed from her eyes, she stood up and bowed to her leader, again to his mate, and walked away, her eyes filled with new hope. Jake smiled and looked over to Mo'at, who was finished binding the wound.

"Your mother can see us now?"

Neytiri looked over and nodded, and the the two moved over to the Tsahik.

The first thing the middle aged woman said to the couple was: _"You both still seemed stressed. Are you sure you got enough sleep?"_

Neytiri began, _"Mother, we didn't get any sleep."_

Jake continued, _"If we don't help with something, we won't get rid of this feeling."_

Mo'at nodded, _"Very well, go to the human base, gather the hunters and send the Skypeople away. Do whatever you wish with them."_

Jake snickered, "I might have a little fun with that."

As they were flying back to Hell's Gate on the Toruk, Jake and Neytiri thanked Eywa that they didn't have to go through they nightmare again. How sad that children must be, Neytiri thought, to find out that their parents are gone all because of a stupid war. She had already experienced losing her father, but to lose her mother, Neytiri would be completely lost.

When they got to the base, most of the hunters had already gathered there. The ikran were perched on top of the buildings, preening themselves and direhorses ran every which way. All of the remaining Skypeople, with the exception of the few known allies including Norm and Max, were being held in a large group surrounded by hunters. As Jake and Neytiri climbed off of the Toruk, she turned to him, her head cocked to one side, "I'm surprised so many of them lived."

Jake laughed , "I think they all just retreated 'cause they were scared."

As they walked towards the group, the hunters saw the Olo'eyctan's leadership insignia, they turned and bowed. "What shall we do with them?" one of the men asked. Jake and Neytiri exchanged a glance.

"Banish them," Jake said, "Do nothing else, just banish them. They will suffer on their dying earth." The Skypeople looked at him with both astonishment and disgust in their eyes.

"What?" Parker shouted, "You can't be serious!"

Jake smirked, "Why? Because you invaded these people's lives and destroyed their home, killing innocent people, and destroying out of your own damned greed? You're lucky that all we're doing is banishing you!"

Parker stepped back, but wasn't happy about it. The rest of the humans hung their heads. Humiliated and defeated.

Neytiri seemed less than pleased with Jake's decision "You all should thank everything you own that my Jake is letting you off so easily! If it were up to any other man here, I'm sure they would gladly see you fed to a palulukan!" her feline eyes were furious with rage.

Gripping her hand, Jake glared at Parker dead in the eye, "You've got one hour to pack up everything and leave. If your not out by then, well," he smiled at Neytiri, "You'll be fed to the palulukan."

It took about 30 minutes for the all the Skypeople to gather their things. And as they loaded, single file into the Valkyrie, Jake felt a strong a sense of pride and accomplishment. The threat that had haunted the Na'vi for so long was was heading back to it's world, heads hung low. Norm and Max stood next to Jake and Neytiri, kept from the exile. And with arrows aimed at them, the aliens went back to their dying world. The few that were chosen to stay held guns in their hands, proud to be able to remain on this beautiful planet. After 10 minutes, the rest of the aliens boarded the Valkyrie and after a while, it took off and the Na'vi, Avatars and the loyal humans stared at it until it was nothing more than a mere dot in the distant sky. When it was no longer in sight, everyone cheered, their spirits lifted for the first time in a while. It was all over and nothing would ever be the same.

(Time Skip)

"Okay, buddy, it's time for you to go." Jake unhooked the armor off of his Toruk and it flew into the distant vision of Polymorphous. Toruk Makto was no longer needed, he thought to himself as he smiled. Neytiri, who was standing behind him the whole time, came up to Jake's side and too his hand into hers.

"So, what happens next?" she asked.

"I'm not sure." Jake smiled wider, "I only know one thing right now." he turned towards his love and sighed, "I want to stay here," leaning towards her, he whispered, "With you."

Upon hearing that, Neytiri blushed uncontrollably and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss.

For those two, time had a habit of freezing in it's place. Woodsprites, signals of pure relationships, danced among the air, blessing it with the mere beauty of it's presence. Bioluminescence lit up the night like it was celebrating something magical. It had been 25 years since the plants and animals had ever lived a life free of the Skypeople, it was worth celebrating. When time decided to start again, the couple unlocked lips and turned to stare into the distance.

"What we did to Grace," Neytiri placed her hand on Jake's cheek, "We will do to you. I will pitch your proposal to my mother. And this time..." she paused, " It will work. You are a strong, healthy spirit.

"Cool," Jake laughed, "It's sort of ironic because tomorrow is..." he turned to see his love, "My birthday."


	5. August 24, 2154

As he expected, Mo'at accepted Jake's suggestion to the conscious transfer. She said that she would be more than happy to preform the ritual on. The news thoroughly excited Neytiri as well as the rest of the Omaticaya Clan. When the fact finally spread to Norm, Max, and the rest of the Avatar team that Jake wanted to spend the rest of his life as a Na'vi, they were overjoyed.

"That's awesome, man." Norm laughed as he patted his buddy on the back, "I'm sure your lady is happy about the news, too." and him and Jake shared a laugh for the first time in a while. In the time it took to gather up the Skypeople, the science crew was able to fix up Norm's Avatar and today, August 24th, was the first day that he was able to use it.

"Yeah, Neytiri's pretty excited," Jake said, "Come to think of it, I haven't seen her since this morning. Wonder what she's up to."

"She's probably getting your birthday present." Norm snickered. Following a friendly punch to the arm, Jake and Norm went separate ways, the former went to seek out his mate and the latter went to help Mo'at prepare for the ceremony."

After searching a while, tripping multiple times over tree roots, Jake finally found Neytiri at the camp, lounging in a cot.

"Hey, sleepy-head!" he called.

"Hmm?" she replied, not moving the slightest bit. Concerned, Jake walked over, bent down next to her and brushed a few strands of uneven hair out of her face. "What's wrong?"

Neytiri rolled over to face him, "I'm not sure... tonight is a really big night and I'm very excited, but, I'm also a bit nervous." And she had every right to be. The conscious transfer had been known to fail like it did with Grace. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't take Jake's strong connection with Eywa for granted. She wanted nothing more than security at the moment.

"Tell me something you used to do back on Earth. You know, with someone else."

Jake laughed, "Well, your clan's mating rituals are more or less like something we have back there."

"Really, what is it?"

"It's called marriage. It used to be really popular, but know it's sorta... forgotten."

"Wow, what do you do?"

Because Jake had never been married, nor even seen a wedding ceremony he had a hard time explaining it to a clueless Neytiri, "Well, when a man and woman fall in love, they have a special ceremony to make this love, you know, official. All kinds of people do it differently, different ages, different times, different rituals, but everyone dresses nice, especially the bride."

"Who's the bribe?" Neytiri's expression turning more relaxed with every word Jake spoke.

"No, not the bribe, the bride." he corrected, "She's the woman getting married, the woman who is loved, like who you are to me." Neytiri smiled and rolled onto her back again and folded her hands across her chest. "I'd like to have one of these ceremonies." she sighed, "They seem lovely. I guess Skypeople aren't as bad as I thought."

"I'm sure we could arrange that." he smiled, stroking her braids gently with a loving hand.

"Jakesulli?"

Both Jake and Neytiri sat up up and turned to see Mo'at, dressed in her spiritual attire. The time had escaped them and they had no idea the ceremony was soon. "If it isn't any trouble, I need to see you. Daughter, you can go get ready, we'll start in a few hours."

Neytiri bowed her head and smiled at Jake. "I will go to the human base to get you in and hour."

Knowing she meant his human body, he decided not to refuse her help. Even Toruk Makto would need an escort through the Pandoran forests, he was just too vulnerable as a human. After she left, Jake went with Mo'at. After some explanations of how the ceremony was going down and such, she turned to him.

"In order to complete this ritual, you need to go back to your Skyperson body. As you saw with Grace, we will transfer your mind into this body," she motioned toward him, "forever. Can you go back?"

"Of course," Jake nodded, "All I need to do is fall asleep to terminate the link."

"Are you tired? We need to start as soon as we can, it's almost nightfall."

"Not really."

"Okay, I can help you."

Upon orders, Jake undressed completely-trying his best to cover up- and lay down on a soft patch of Earth beneath the Tree of Souls. Then, Mo'at placed her hand on Jake's forehead and mumbled something lowly in Na'vi. He couldn't quite make out what she was saying, but as she finished, Jake felt himself being lulled to sleep. When he woke up from the hypnotic rest, he was in his link, the dark coffin. Sighing, he pushed the lid off and decided to make one last link entry before he left.

"So... uh, I guess this is my last video log, cause, well, whatever happens tonight, either way, I'm not gonna be coming back to this place." he looked solemnly at his useless legs and then to the room around him. Tiny and cooped up from Eywa like Neytiri would say. He then turned back to the tiny camera and thought of the Omaticaya.

"The forest will heal, so will the hearts of The People. New life keeps the energy flowing, like the breath of the world. No matter what, these people know how to take care of themselves, they all do. The things they teach are nothing like what we taught back on Earth. And then there's the beautiful princess. But she doesn't like to be referred to like that. That girl is as tough as she is pretty, and she's gorgeous." He thought of his love, a kindhearted amazon warrior coming to take him home. His Neytiri.

"I can sleep peacefully at night knowing that whatever threat was brought by the humans was banished and sent back on a Valkyrie Shuttle. The sky people are long gone, well, most of them are. There's Norm, Max, and the rest of the team that brought me the ability to use my legs and the strength to move forward. And then there's me, but not for long. Once my mind is permanently transferred to the Avatar, that's it, one life ends, another begins." Soon, Jake found himself going on about how the war turned out and his travels around Pandora. He could go on forever, but as soon as he began to talk about Neytiri wanting to host a wedding, he heard a voice outside.

"Ma Jake, are you in there?"

"Well, I guess I better go," he smiled, "I don't want to be late for my own party. Yeah, it's my birthday after all. This is Jake Sully, signing off."

And after clicking the off button on the video camera, he wheeled himself through the science lab and out towards the yard. After grabbing and exopack, he never looked back. Outside, Neytiri waited patiently for him. She was clad in her formal attire; a shining thin top made of vines covering her chest and a simple, purple, cloth. Her hair, which on a normal day would be braided, was let out and blew slightly in the breeze with a few yellow feathers weaved in the back. Jake smiled, she looked pulchritudinous.

"Aw, you're wearing that stupid mask... thing!" she pouted.

"Well, you want me too live, don't you?" he laughed.

Neytiri crossed her arms, "I was only kidding. Now, my mother says you need to undress."

He laughed again, "Can't I at least keep them on until we get there?"

She sighed sarcastically and scooped Jake out of his wheelchair. "You Skypeople and your clothes." she shook her head as they left the base.

When they arrived at the Tree of Souls about an hour later, the alter was prepared and the ceremony was ready to start. For the last night that they would be, all the Na'vi clans sat around the sacred tree, rocking back in forth in a low chant.

"Wow, there's a lot of people here." Jake laughed as he undressed.

Neytiri who had before promised, 'not to look', took him into her arms and smiled, "I guess that just how much we love you."

So with Jake in her arms, she walked carefully through the chanting crowd to the very foot of the Tree of Souls. Upon making it, she placed him with the greatest of care on the alter. At his head, his Avatar lay vacant, waiting for life to enter it. Jake carefully matched it's position and his blue eyes looked up to Neytiri, who was still holding his hand. Once he was positioned, the tentacle-like, luminescent roots rose from the ground and encased Jake in their light. Slowly, his hand let go of her's and fell onto his bare chest. He slipped into an unconscious state and the ceremony began.

She listened to his heart beat. It got slower and slower and slower as the chant grew louder and louder and louder. Still, his peaceful eyes ceased to stir. Neytiri was waiting for the beating to stop, she was waiting for him to die. Of course, she didn't have to wait long for him to do so. There was no more pulse. He was dead.

"_Ma'sa'nok_." she stared worriedly into her mother's eyes.

"_Lu hasey._" Mo'at raised her hand to the crowd and the chanting stopped. Given the permission, Neytiri removed the 'stupid mask' and bent down to kiss both of his lifeless eyes. She then lifted her head and hastily moved over to his Avatar body and slowly, her hand came to caress his cheek. For the longest time, it seemed, she was worried, but then his eyes opened.


	6. The Girl At The Fire Pit

I am so sorry for not updating in so long. My New Year's resolution was to stop procrastinating on my stories and attempt to get out of writer's block. Thanks for being patient with me, if you are still here.

"_Oel ngati kameie._" his voice resembled that of a man waking up with a sore throat.

"I see you." she smiled down at him, the tears welling up in her eyes signaled the absence of fear. It had disappeared the moment she saw his eyes. This was an addicting feeling, the last time she been so relieved to see something was when she saved Jake's life after he was exposed to the Pandora air as a human. Slowly, Jake sat up. The tendrils that previously cradled him fell back into the ground, their job finished. He blinked a few times, letting the glow of _Vitraya Ramunong _adjust to his eyesight. Among the pink film that draped over the sacred tree, he could see a beautiful face, grinning at him like a love-struck teenager. In a way she did resemble one. At only age 18, Neytiri had fallen for Jake and done so much for it, to the point where she was risking her own well-being for his safety. Her face was met with another. An older woman, still beautiful, smiled fondly at him.

"Irayo, Ma'sa'nok." Neytiri let herself be caught as she fell into Jake's arms. Mo'at nodded, preceding which she arose from her kneeling position to retrieve Jake's clothing. The clans were dismissed. A low chatter initiated among The People. Jake saw a few Na'vi exchange farewells, hugs, and tears to members of other tribes. Neytiri watched in tears as the people who made great sacrifices for the good of the Omaticaya were finally returning home to their families.

After dressing in everything but his Olo'eyctan insignia, Jake turned and looked at his human body, sleeping, abandoned, dead. Neytiri found the heart to reach a comforting arm around his shoulder. She could easily see how the experience could be emotional for him. Jake was entering a new life unprepared and anxious. If "happily ever after" occurs after a story is finished, Jake and Neytiri were far from the end. The war was over, and the time of great sorrow ended along with it. This was a time of new beginnings. A new beginning for Jake. A new beginning for Neytiri. A new beginning for the Omaticaya, which had, after the warriors of war left, revealed itself to be and extremely small clan. The causalities from the battle combined with the lives lost when Hometree fell equaled more than half of the population of the clan. Neither Jake or Neytiri knew if this would permanently affect The People's lives or not, but there was no reversing time, they would have to work off of what they had.

The Well of Souls was soon empty except for the lonely existence of the two warriors. The one relaxed his shoulders and sighed. "It's sorta funny." Jake smirked, glancing over to his sleeping human body, "Nothing really feels like it's changed." He bent down to cover it in a filmy blanket made of glowing vines. Neytiri gently shut her eyes as she ran a nimble finger over the figure of it's body. "You never did tell me what this birthday of yours was."

Jake cocked his head to one side, "You don't know?"

"No, no I don't. Care to..." she giggled, "...fill my cup?"

"Oh, well, um... back on Earth, the day you were born was known as your birthday and... people like to celebrate themselves being a year older."

Neytiri fell on her back laughing, "What's to celebrate?" Jake joined her laugh. After explaining her the concept, it all seemed strange, and if nothing else, conceded to commemorate oneself.

Still snickering with laughter, the two walked hand-in-hand to the other side of the Tree of Souls, it was too depressing to stay near Jake's body. That night was not like the last few had been. The Stingbats' calls filled the once silence of the forest. The bioluminescent freckles littered among the flora of Pandora glowed with a new hope for the land. The pink glow of _Vitraya Ramunong_ was shocking against the shadowed luminescent glow of the jungle.

"Can you tell me something, Jake?" Neytiri's voice broke the mute.

"Sure, anything."

"When we were back at that shack, it seemed as if...well...something was wrong with...uh... your legs. What was it?"

Jake sighed, "Well, back when-"

"Please," Neytiri pleaded, "Don't be angry with me for asking."

"It's all good, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." he kissed the top of her head. "You have every right to know. Back on earth, I fought in a group called the Marines. And one day, my troop had planned an attack on a clan called Venezuela. But, they knew we were coming, so they were prepared. We badly outnumbered them, but they were brave and drove us out with ease. Me and my buddy, Mike, stayed behind to make sure everyone got back safe. And when the rest of our men retreated, we tried our best to get out. Our attempt wasn't very successful, though. We both got shot. Mike in the arm and me on the hip, twice. The forces were able to get us back alive, but in order to do so, all the circulation to my legs was cut off. From then on, I was confined to a wheelchair, unable to move my legs even the slightest bit. I'm not sure what happened to Mike or anyone else in my troop, for that matter, cause I left shortly after my injury. After that, I led a pathetic, disgusting life. Starting fights and spending all night drinking, I didn't know if there was an end to it. But there was, it was you. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. You changed me, my Neytiri"

When he finished, her eyes were filled with glassy with tears. These things were what he kept from her for so long. "So that is why you refused my help. Because of this injury, you're afraid people will think that you are weak, you're afraid they will not look past your disability. But we do, all of us. You're brave, compassionate, and strong. Those things run deeper than any injury you've gotten. That is why I've fallen in love with you, my Jake. Plus, you're pretty good looking"

Closing his eyes, Jake exhaled, letting Neytiri's words enchant him, sinking into his mind like tiny bits of pure bliss.

"Vice versa, but to you, of course." he laughed, "I'm so glad you're here, this is the best birthday ever."

He felt her nose cuddle into his chest, "I'm happy, too."

Later on that night, the same men who had taken Tsu'tey's body came to retrieve Jake's. Contrary to a normal ceremony in which every clan member would attend, all the bodies would be taken and buried privately as to not remind the children of the war. If requested, a family could request a private mourning service for their departed friend or family member. Jake had commanded the men to enshrine him next to his dear friend, Grace. The two men bowed and did as they were told. Neytiri watched them until they were out of the well completely before turning to face Jake. "My mother and the clan have set up a new camp near... near... where Hometree used to be."

After standing up, Jake stretched out his stiff arms. "That's right. We need to remember to ask your mother when we can set up a hunt to find a new place for the Omaticaya to stay. Look, I know that Hometree had been there since before human society even began, after all, it is your ancestral home. But now is the perfect time to begin again, to start a new village for years to come."

Neytiri stroked his cheek, "Yes, but for now, we must rest. The days ahead of us will bring many challenges. It is best we are prepared for whatever fate has in store."

They shared one short, sweet kiss before exiting the Tree Of Soul's base headed for the camp. When they got there, situations seemed a whole lot more cheerful than they had been before. Families sat by the crackling fire. Couples and groups of kin slept peacefully together in cots. When Jake and Neytiri walked in, everyone that was awake dropped what they were doing, stood up, and cheered. The strength their voices brought was enough to fill thousands of hearts with happiness. And for what it was worth, it gave Jake hope for the upcoming days. When the Omaticaya finished celebrating and the nightly activities resumed, Mo'at approached the pair and held out a bowl.

"Here," she smiled, "You should eat."

Jake took the object and nodded to his mother-in-law. She did so as well and went to attend to clan as the night lived on.

That night was noticeably cooler, so Jake and Neytiri chose to sit close to the fire. Inside the bowl Mo'at had given them, were a few chunks of Hexapede meat and a serving of teylu.

"Now," Jake smirked, "Would you rather eat this, or another burrito?"

As a response, Neytiri began to cry with laughter, and soon, Jake did too. The two just sat there, cracking up until their sides hurt. Still chuckling under her breath, Neytiri leaned forward and pecked Jake on the cheek, "I'm so glad everything is over."

He turned his head slightly and and kissed her lovingly on the lips. A few younger girls giggled as they watched the scene while some adolescent males poked fun at them, not really used to the princess being this way. After she released her lips from his, Neytiri noticed a little girl, about age 10, sitting by the fire and spying on them.

"_Oh, I'm sorry._" the girl looked away and blushed.

"_It's fine._" Neytiri smiled warmly, "_At least your not trying to kill us._" she looked at Jake and shrugged. He knew exactly what she meant. When she had been betrothed to Tsu'tey, it was forbidden that Neytiri have feeling for Jake, let alone display them. But now, it seemed, that none of that mattered. Like they had never gone against their expectations to be with one another.

"_What's your name?_" Neytiri asked the girl.

"Tanhì."

"_Oh, Tanhì, where are your parents?_"

"_Dead._"

And that was it, the word hit Neytiri like a gun. There was no subtle way to put her sorrow into to words that a 10-year-old would understand. Tanhì wouldn't get the kinds of things that Jake had before told the woman two days ago at the Tree Of Souls.

"_Were they in the fight?_" Neytiri tried to keep her voice as soft and gentle as possible.

"_My dad was, but my mom wasn't_"

"_Where was she?_" Jake tried to mimic Neytiri's gestures.

"_She was killed when Hometree was destroyed._"

"Oh." Neytiri looked down, trying to think of the words to tell this girl. Was she just to let it go, not care? No, no, that wasn't the proper thing to do. So slowly and using her most gentle voice, Neytiri wrapped her arm around Tanhì's fragile shoulder and rested her head softly against hers. _"I'm sorry for your loss, I really am."_

The little child sniffed a tiny bit and rubbed her eyes. _"Thank you, princess. But I guess fate is just inescapable. I hate to say it, but maybe it was for the best. Or possibly a test from Eywa. Either way, Tsahìk told me that I am to be raised from now on by a widowed woman whose mate died in the war."_

Tanhì then yawned softly and stretched out her arms, _"I'm pretty sleepy,"_ she said, _"I'll go to bed now_." Neytiri nodded, _"Sleep well."_

As Tanhì left, Jake examined his thoughts out loud. "I wonder if there's more children like her. You know, who parents died in the war."

Neytiri crossed her arms and shrugged solemnly, "Sometimes I just find it all so stupid. I mean, the Skypeople brought nothing put pain and suffering to us." She looked at Jake and quickly corrected herself. "Well, besides you, Grace and that Norm guy and Trudy and all the other people that helped out our people during the fight. But that's it. I know everyone it capable of both good and bad, but some of those humans just crossed the line. Nothing good came out of their presence, nothing at all."

Jake smiled gingerly, "That's not true. You may not realize it, but you changed for the better."

"How so?"

"Well, you've become stronger. You had to learn the hard way that you have to fight and struggle to gain security. And that's a good thing, you're strong."

Neytiri trying hard not to blush as she simply decided to rest her head tenderly against hi chest, listening to his heartbeat. "I love you so much it's ridiculous." she laughed. Jake took a few strands of Neytiri's hair and placed a kiss on her head. _"Nga yawne lu oer, nìteng.*"_

The tow finished the meal and found a private place behind a tree so that they could change out of the formal attire. Now normally, seeing as Jake was raised on earth by a protective father, he would have been bashful changing in plain sight in front of a woman. But in the three months he spent on Pandora, he was used to nobody caring or even saying anything when nudity was involved. So Jake was able to carry on a conversation with a strait face while changing his clothes.

Neytiri was fixing her necklace across her shoulders as she began the talk. "So, my mother didn't tell me anything about Tanhì, who do you think she got to raise her?"

Jake shrugged, "I dunno, but it better be someone nice, that girl seems pretty sensitive."

"Yeah, I don't know of any women that-" but she stopped abruptly and began to cough. At first, it wasn't much, but it started getting much worse, to the point where Neytiri had to use the tree to balance herself. Jake instinctively ran over and held her firmly on the shoulders, "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know." Neytiri chocked between coughs. "My throat just started acting up, or something."

"Will you be okay? Do you want me to get a healer?"

"I'll be fine with just water. Can you get some, please?"

After being directed by a group of elders, Jake made his was hastily to a wide stream, tripping multiple times over anything that wasn't flat ground. When he reached it, he quickly filled a basin full of water and got back on his feet again. But only a few seconds after he started sprinting again, he tripped over a protruding tree root and the water spilled everywhere. Now soaked, he picked himself up off of the ground and grabbed the basin- which in the process of his fall, fell a few feet from his hands. He then washed the bowl, filled it again, and rushed his muddy self- this time more carefully- back to the base.

When he returned, Neytiri was sitting on a mossy rock, still coughing. He quickly ran over and handed her the bowl, which she took without saying and messily drank down most of it's contents. Then she placed the bowl on the ground and wiped off her mouth with her hand.

"Thank you so much, I don't even know-" a bright light of amusement caught her eye, "What the heck happened to you?" she giggled.

Jake tried his best to brush some of the mud from his face and chest, "Maybe I'm still a bit clumsy when it comes to these roots." Which made the pair laugh. Neytiri spent three whole months teaching Jake the ways of the Omaticaya. The better half of that time was spent exploring Pandora's vast jungles. In the midst of all of the language lessons and horse-back riding, Jake had learned to use his legs to navigate through obstacles with ease. Now, a week later, his haste and good intentions forced him to forget everything he had learned from her, which was thoroughly embarrassing.

"I was just... really worried about you." Jake sniffed, "Are you okay? Do you need more water?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Neytiri smiled, "Plus, I couldn't risk you getting drenched... again."

Jake nodded, "Alright, but I want you to see a healer tomorrow, you seem pretty whipped out."

"Okay, fine." Neytiri groaned sarcastically, "Lets' just go to sleep."

She drank was was left in the bowl and then climbed into a cot. Jake followed, wrapping one arm around her waist and allowing her to rest her head on the other, much like they had slept the night they chose each other as mates. The whole day was tiring, and they ended it with a passionate kiss. The hard work Jake had spent training was paying off as he realized it would be the first time ever that he would wake with Neytiri in his arms.

_* _Translation- "I love you, too"


	7. Familial Bonds

Neytiri blinked a few times and reached up to rub her eyes. Her night was very rough and uncomfortable, so she would have slept longer if Jake's presence hadn't scared her half to death. When she finally came to her senses and remembered that he was there to stay, Neytiri laughed to herself. He sure was taking his time to wake up. Jake was still there, he was breathing, alive. On any other morning before this, he would have left overnight, terminating the link that connected Jake's mind to his Avatar. But now, as a true Na'vi, he could sleep through the night and awake in the same body.

When the time came, Jake opened his cloudy eyes and yawned, taking a few seconds to wake up completely. Neytiri, who had already been awake for some time, smiled, _"Sìltsan rewon."_

_"Nga nìteng."_ he stretched his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest. Neytiri sighed and cuddled up to him. "Why can't we just stay like this forever?" she asked, "We have so much ahead of us, and, it would be nice to just, you know, escape."

Jake ran his fingers over Neytiri's un-braided hair and smiled. He was about to say something, only to be interrupted by Neytiri groaning. She quickly threw a hand on her forehead and started to breath heavily. Jake now realized that her whole face was beaded with sweat and her eyes were distinctly bloodshot. Even if she had spent the whole night in distress, he probably wouldn't of noticed, he had slept so heavily. With any fatherly instincts he had, Jake wiped some sweat off of Neytiri's forehead and placed his hand on it.

"Wow, that's defiantly a fever." he smiled, "I'd suggest we'd go see a healer as soon as we can. Didn't you say something about a family member being a medicine woman?"

Neytiri nodded groggily, "Yes, my Aunt Koka." She blinked tiredly and sat up, Jake did the same. "Please do not worry about me, Ma Jake, I'll be-" then, unanticipatedly, she began to cough like the night before. But only this time, it was obvious that the stress was centered around her throat.

"No," Jake helped her off of the cot, "You're coming with me." Once he was standing with her, he held her stiffly by the shoulders.

By the time Jake found Koka, Neytiri's condition had gotten much worse, as she was coughing up blood. This had caused Jake to go nearly mental trying to hold her still. Koka was a stern looking woman with tight lips and skinny arms. She was undoubtedly Mo'at's sister, the two shared the same piercing stare.

_"Hello, Olo'eyctan, what seems to be the problem?"_ Her uninterested monotone made Jake very upset. He tried his best not to yell as he spoke. _"Your niece, she's been coughing like this since last night. I don't know of anything that could've made her sick. She was just fine a few days ago."_

Koka nodded and turned to the side, commanding in a voice that reminded Jake of a teacher he once had. _"Txala, come over here!" _A teenage girl a few years younger than Neytiri, who was before sitting on the ground mixing pastel colored liquids in a pot, stood up and placed herself next to Koka.

_"Please!"_ Jake begged,_ "I don't know what's wrong with her, just... please do something." _He was still holding up a struggling Neytiri, who was trying her best not to collapse.

The two women pondered a bit before Koka snapped her finger and turned to whisper something in Txala's ear. The girl nodded and took off to find something. She returned a few seconds later with a vile filled with an oddly colored liquid and handed it to Koka, who then ordered Neytiri to sit. When she was finally able to stable herself on the ground, Koka put the container in Neytiri's hands. Still struggling with herself, the young princess lifted the vile to her nose but immediately pulled it back.

_"You want... *cough* me... *cough* to drink... *cough* that?"_ she stuttered, trying to hold her hand steady. Koka nodded, _"It's what you need to get better."_

Neytiri took a deep breath and reluctantly took the vile to her lips. She quickly poured the cloudy mixture into her mouth and swallowed. As if prepared for her reaction, Koka placed her palm directly on Neytiri's lips as she cringed her eyes in disgust.

Once Neytiri's eyes showed no sign of stress and her shoulders relaxed, Koka removed her hand from her niece's mouth and asked, _"How do you feel?"_

Meanwhile, Txala tip-toed over to Jake and handed him a device that looked like the Na'vi equivalent of a thermometer. "_Please, don't mess with it much."_ she said.

Jake tried his best to be careful with the instrument, _"Okay, what is it for?"_

_"Well..." _Txala hesitated, _"Just...uh... you know those Skypeople devices that are used to take temperature?"_

_"Yes."_

_ "Well, it's like one of those, but it tells us something different. Sometime within the next few days, have Neytiri stick this under her tongue for about two minutes. And, if the stick part changes to a red-orange color instead of it usual green, come and see me."_

_"And then what?" _

_"We'll worry about that when the time comes."_

Shrugging, Jake walked over to Koka for a diagnosis.

_"She is fine. It's nothing too major."_ Koka nodded. A sigh of relief came from Jake as he held his mate tight in his arms. The medicine woman continued, _"She was only coughing because of a chemical she breathed in during the battle. You see, sometimes fire reacts with certain flora to creating a orderless, sickening gas. The medicine we gave her will clear up any problems, but it might be best to keep a close eye on her."_

Neytiri gave an annoyed sigh as she blew a few strands of hair from her forehead. Jake laughed in his head, she was still such a teenager.

On their way back to the center of the Omaticaya's base, Jake once again addressed his plan.

"I was thinking, you know... if you want to talk to your mother about moving the clan into another Hometree. But... I mean... we won't be able to replace the old one, but if we are going to relocate... it... uh... should be soon."

Amused with Jake's clumsy words, Neytiri said in her stuffy voice, "You already said that!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, last night you skxawng!" she laughed.

Jake rubbed his eyes, "Oh yeah, I'm sorry."

"Is... something wrong, ma Jake?"

"I dunno. Ever since we left your aunt's, something's been on my mind. It's not my concern for the future or anything. It's almost like I'm feeling this way because I forgot to do something, or there's something I was supposed to do."

"Could it be because of the thing Txala gave you?" Neytiri referred to the device in Jake's left hand.

"Probably not." he laughed, "I don't even know what it is."

"Did she give you instruction?"

"Yeah," he said, holding the instrument up to his eyes, "She wants you to suck on this for two minutes sometime in the future."

Neytiri opened her mouth to say something, but soon her voice changed from a slight giggle, and then to a bashful laugh.

"You would to, you little pervert!" Jake shook his head and grinned. This was just another side of Neytiri he had never seen. In fact, when he first arrived on Pandora, he had stereotyped the Na'vi as humorless tree-huggers who spent all day praying. Now that he was one of them, Jake was never more happy to be proven wrong.

"You know," Neytiri said later, "Txala is the only person in our clan with any knowledge of Skypeople medicine."

"Really? How did she learn?"

"While the rest of us girls were learning to hunt and ride, she studied with Skypeople scientists and they taught her about they're remedies and such."

"That's pretty cool." Jake smiled.

"Yeah. She is one of the very few people in our clan who aren't disgusted by Skypeople technology."

"Are you?"

"I don't trust any of it, in all honesty, it scares me."

"I can understand why." Jake assured Neytiri that her fear didn't make her any less of a warrior. "What do you say about going to your mother to tell her our plan?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Neytiri replied.

It was about noon when Jake and Neytiri where able to talk to Mo'at. As they were walking towards the center of the base, Jake assessed the situation and turned to his mate. "It must suck." he said, noticing Neytiri's calm tone.

"What does?"

"You have to wait in a line to see your own mother. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Maybe, but she needs to do her job, the clan would be lost without her."

"Has it always been that way?"

"As far back as I can think. It was always Sylwanin..." Neytiri paused, "who was there for me. Did you always talk to your mother?"

"No, not really."

"Why not?"

"Before she left, my mother was a nightmare."

"What do you mean by... she left?"

Jake sighed, "When I was younger," he began, "It was just me, my mom, my dad, and my brother Tommy in a small apartment in Detroit. My mom, Lydia, worked as a bartender and usually spent the nights getting drunk. My dad, Trevor, worked as a checkout clerk for a grocery store. We were able to keep up a decent lifestyle, but we were never happy. My mom like to take out her drunken anger on all of us, especially my dad. So many times, I just wanted to run away from home. But I never did. Dad needed me and Tommy's support, it was all that he had. But one day dad came home more depressed than usual. He lost his job. The company he worked for ran out of business and was shutting down. Me and Tommy took the news well, but my mom didn't."

Jake closed his eyes as he let all the painful memories, once forgotten, sink back into his mind, "I still remember her voice. Cold and angry. She said, 'You impossible man! Why is it I doing all of the work? Why am I the only one capable of holding a job? I can't take this anymore! You're on your own.' And then she stormed out the door... I never saw her again. I heard every now and again that she started a career as a professional stripper... I don't even know what that is! But after she left, the three of us barely got by. Dad was always trying his best to get a new job, but he was never successful. Me and Tommy spent hours working for other people to help dad get by. My parent marriage was a wreck, it really was. They never really loved each other. Plus they were young." Jake inhaled and exhaled loudly and rested his head on his hands, staring into nothing. Neytiri, with the look of utmost concern on her face, rested her head tenderly on Jake's shoulder and asked, "I guess then we should bring the true meaning of happy marriages back into existence."

He nodded, "Yes, I think that's a great idea."

Neytiri smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her face against his face, symbol of her eternal loyalty and love for Jake. "What happened to your father?" she asked.

"He was killed in a subway accident."

"What is a subway?"

"An underground train."

"Oh, so like an ikran?"

"Yeah, except everyone rides one and it isn't an animal."

Before Neytiri could respond, Mo'at came out from behind a curtain and looked at them. _"What's the matter? Is something wrong?"_

_"Nothing is wrong, mother."_ Neytiri said.

_"Are you sure, I heard from my sister that you weren't doing well."_

_"I'm fine,"_ she reassured, _"Auntie Koka gave me some medicine. It was just a bit of a head cold and a throat infection."_

Deciding to take her daughter's word for it, Mo'at sat cross-legged in front of the pair and said, _"Well then, what is it you need."_

Jake took a deep breath and began to tell his mother-in-law about his plans to relocate the Omaticaya into another Hometree. All the while, Mo'at listened attentively, taking what he said seriously.

After his explanation, Neytiri seemed to be nodding off, her eyes sulking with exhaustion.

"I think we might have to do this before things change permanently," Jake shrugged.

Mo'at nodded, her eyes closed, "They already have changed forever, I'm afraid."

"I know, but I just want to keep things from getting any worse." he replied. "Oh, and, before we go, me and Neytiri want to propose something else." he used his elbow to wake up Neytiri, who blinked a few times to get back into reality. "Oh, yeah, Jake and I want to have a wedding." she blushed.

Mo'at almost laughed, "That Skypeople tradition?"

"Pretty much." Jake smiled.

"Well... what were you planning?"

"I don't know." said Jake, "Back on Earth, everyone wore their nicest clothes, so I guess we can tell the weavers.

The conversation about the wedding ending up taking longer than any of the three had initially planned. Either way, they came up with a ceremony located at the Tree of Souls. The whole Omaticaya would attend along with all the Avatars and scientists. Mo'at promised that she would learn what to say so that she could be the one to help tie the know. The celebration would then move to where ever the Omaticaya decided to reside at that point for dancing and dinner. Once again, a promise was made by the tsahìk that she would find the best musicians and singers to preform at the dance. As for the meal, yerik and tailong meat along with a medley of teylu and fruit-flavored drinks.

"I will let the weavers know of your requests." Mo'at said later, "I want this event to be special, you have no idea what it means to me."

"What do you mean by that mother?" Neytiri twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

"Well, you know I love you daughter, you and Jakesulli, both. I want nothing but the best for you. But I feel that this ceremony will bring our clan to understand the love between you two a bit more... considering that Jakesulli has five fingers."

Jake smirked and softly took Neytiri's hand. "We trust that you will make this event very special, Mo'at."

"Please," she smiled, "Call me mother."

Neytiri's face fell into a look a pure happiness, which Jake duplicated, "Alright, _ma'sa'nok_."

As the two stood up to leave, Mo'at remembered something and quickly caught up to them. "Would you mid terribly bringing Tanhì to me?"

"Why do you need to see her?" Neytiri asked.

"You'll see."

Jake and Neytiri found Tanhì in a nearby riding yard, stroking the neck of a direhorse. Her eyes were gently closed as she whispered, "Siltsan, siltsan."

"It's a curious thing, isn't it?" Neytiri said, "She's so strong. Even though so much has happened to her in the past month, she has the will to move on. I really admire that."

As they approached the girl, without turning around, she said, _"This was daddy's horse. He used it to lead a troop of warriors into battle. That girl Tìngay and the Skyperson Norm fought by his side."_

She turned to face them, smiling, _"Is there something that you need?"_

Her eyes told the story of her life. Wide and curious with innocence, delicately handled with glistening sorrow. Her fluttering eyelashes smile and giggled with the seems of a girl who never lost her parents to a war. The girl at the fire pit.

_"The tsahìk wishes to see you."_ Jake said eventually.

Tanhì shrugged and skipped along as Jake and Neytiri lead her to Mo'at.

When they got there, Tanhì walked up to Mo'at, rocking back and forth eagerly on her feet.

_"I trust that you know why you're here."_ the tsahìk said.

_"Uh... actually, I don't."_

_"Well," _Mo'at began, _"Because you are only 10 years of age, I do not expect you to be able to take care of yourself. I know a woman in our clan who would be very happy to take you in until you're finished growing up. You see, she was very sick and never able to have a child of her own. And she recently lost her mate in the war. I hope the two of you will get to know each other well. Are you okay with this, dear?"_

_ "Of course. Honestly, I do really miss having someone there for me." _Tanhì blushed.

"Okay than, my darling, I'd like to introduce you to Kyrinä."

The woman that approached the group was immediately recognized by Jake and Neytiri. Not by the clothes she wore or her face, but the choker she wore around her neck.


End file.
